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 Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:21 am
Stalking through the coalition lands, a dedicated gray cheetah was doing his job, checking the herds. He was the head hunter for his family, but tried to take on the added responsibility for the whole coalition, looking out for everyone and making sure there was enough food for everyone. He cares for this coalition and all in it, except for that black and white tick. Snarling, he shook his head and continued his rounds, checking the herds and watching the boarder, begging for something to come so he could fight off the storm boiling in his mind and his blood, too long away from the soothing presents of Naddie or his cubs, they had grown, but with the bonding ceremony, and the knowledge they both wanted more cubs, sometime in the future there would be more cubs to play with and love. That helped as he kept going.
While making her way to a shallow portion of the stream to cool off, Aailyah caught site of the large grey cheetah patrolling the borders. He was one of the many cheetahs that Aailyah respected and trusted with their responsibilities. In fact, Kolo seemed to be proud of his position in the group and was one of the first to take on the marking without hesitation. It was difficult to convince many cheetahs that each tradition that they were taking on was beneficial to them as a whole.
While the lions were pleased to be in such a large group, this was all still foreign to the cheetahs. Independent attitudes still dominated and many refused to take on a mark for any reason. Those felines were allowed to remain within the borders for shelter, safety and food, but not considered actual members of Duma'Chama.
The mark on his shoulder was a badge of pride for him, a symbol his dream had come to fruition. The fact Naddie was willing to take it, and stay with him now that they were safe and she didn't out right need him, brought him even more pride. If one had a death wish and wanted to be mean, they might even conceder saying he acted almost lionish with his quick acceptance of the coalition and everything it stood for. Luckily, no one had yet been that stupid. Unlike the coalition’s tolerance towards other creatures, he hated them all, just kept it to himself and his family.
Spotting the white cheetahess who had made this all possible, he smiled and ran towards her, slowing down to a trot as he approached, "Greetings, sister, the herds are strong and everything is peaceful. You really did pick a perfect place." Giving a report, it may not be his job but he took it anyway, he also was unable to help a compliment to the gorgeous winged lady.
Aailyah began to pad in the male's direction when she saw that he took off, sprinting towards her. Pausing, the female waited until Kolo came to a complete stop. With a light giggle, Aailyah smiled warmly. "It is a pleasure to see you, Kolo! It makes me so happy to see how you take on so many responsibilities for the rest of us. You help this family to become stronger."
Still unused to complements, the pale female's cheeks became a pale hue of pink, entirely standing out upon her light fur. "Oh, I could not have found this place had it not been for the many cheetahs who helped me through the devastating loss of the first territory." It was difficult to mention the attack, but it was also something the cheetahs had survived and further strengthened them.
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Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:43 am
Kolo held his head up high, smiling with pride, he did as much as he could and it was nice to be recognized for it. "I try, Lady, I certainly do." The coailition deserved all he had to give, and he would do everything he could to continue to take care of it and those that lived within it, black and white tick aside. That was something else troubling, his scent was still around, that troublemaker was still in the coalition lands and yet he could not find him to chase him out! By the skin of his teeth, he held back the signs of anger.
It helped to see her reaction to his compliments, stay around him long enough and she'd get used to them. While his heart belonged to one cheetahess alone, he still loved all the lady cheetahs. The deserved compliments and were all wonderful as far as he was concerned.
Mention of the loss of the territory brought a growl before he could suppress it. His ears went back and his fur bristled with rage. His anger was not directed towards the lady he was talking to, but the memory. While he knew it was for the best, he still resented being forced to give up the fight, being forced to leave with the rest of the coalition when he could have tried taking on the whole pride of the nasty lions. No Naddie meant he had to try and soothe himself, not an easy task. Trying to calm, he managed out something, "We all do our best for this dream, the coalition." It wasn’t a dream anymore, though, it was reality.
When Kolo growled and began to bristle, Aailyah looked over to him almost sadly. Perhaps it was the wrong thing to say? She knew that Kolo and his family had been around during the attack and it must have left a horrible memory in their minds. While some lives were lost, Aailyah understood that she could not have survived the attack and continued on without the aid of those around her.
With her ears lowered once again, Aailyah nudged Kolo as though to help ease his obvious frustration. "I am very sorry. It was wrong of me to bring up. It is a sore subject for all those who were present, I believe."
Looking out towards the coalition, the cheetah's sad expression slowly warmed into a smile. "So, what's this I hear about planning cubs?" With a playful, almost flirty, smile, the cheetah returned her gaze to the male. "I can't wait to welcome them into the world. This time around, Nadi won't have to have them alone. We'll have someone assisting her in the birth to ensure that all cubs enter safely and she is comfortable."
It wasn't the attack itself that got him so worked up, it was the fact he wasn't allowed to fight, Naddie and the knowledge he needed to do what he could to see that Aailyah was able to see his vision through, he had to back down. This cheetah hated to back down more than anything else in this world, besides lions and that black and white tick of a Cheetah. In a way he blamed the ladies for not allowing him to fight, but he also knew it wasn't their fault their lands were attacked.
Shaking his head, he told her, as calmly as he could still boiling up inside, "Its not your fault. If anything tries that again they will not be as lucky." They'd have to knock him out or sit on him to keep him from fighting again, there was too much at stake to for him to back down, his pride and the coalition, not to mention his temper could only be denied but so much before he really tore himself up.
Mention of cubs did it; he calmed more and smiled, telling her, "Naddie and I agreed we wanted more cubs, and that we will take each other's marks." He was very excited about the idea of being a father again. The way she phrased her last commented almost offended him, until the end. He had been with Naddie the whole time, but hadn't managed to do much for her when it came to birthing, the more comfort the better. “There is no better place, though these lands have a blight of a cheetah roaming.” He had to warn her about that troublemaker.
Aailyah had seen the way that Kolo looked when she mentioned that this time Naddie would have someone to be there for her. For a moment the seer appeared confused. She received many visions, but not everything in her life was explained to her. She needed to develop a skill at interpreting images and gestures and at times feelings and sounds. While she had used this skill since she was young, it was still being fine tuned.
And then it hit her. Kolo had always been with Naddie. With ears folded, the cheetah was almost embarassed at what she had said. In truth, she never experienced a positive birth and assumed most other cheetahs shared the same memories. The father of her cubs did not stick around long enough to help her figure out what was going on.
With a shake of her head, the pale cheetah smiled. She was very happy for them. Aailyah tried to develop a close bond with everyone in the coalition and her friendship with Kolo and Naddie was no exception. She cared greatly for the first family in their lands. "They will be beautiful cubs, just like your previous litter."
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 9:26 am
It wasn't the attack itself that got him so worked up, it was the fact he wasn't allowed to fight, Naddie and the knowledge he needed to do what he could to see that Aailyah was able to see his vision through, he had to back down. This cheetah hated to back down more than anything else in this world, besides lions and that black and white tick of a Cheetah. In a way he blamed the ladies for not allowing him to fight, but he also knew it wasn't their fault their lands were attacked.
Shaking his head, he told her, as calmly as he could still boiling up inside, "Its not your fault. If anything tries that again they will not be as lucky." They'd have to knock him out or sit on him to keep him from fighting again, there was too much at stake to for him to back down, his pride and the coalition, not to mention his temper could only be denied but so much before he really tore himself up.
Mention of cubs did it; he calmed more and smiled, telling her, "Naddie and I agreed we wanted more cubs, and that we will take each other's marks." He was very excited about the idea of being a father again. The way she phrased her last commented almost offended him, until the end. He had been with Naddie the whole time, but hadn't managed to do much for her when it came to birthing, the more comfort the better. “There is no better place, though these lands have a blight of a cheetah roaming.” He had to warn her about that troublemaker.
The way Kolo spoke about the attack was almost frightening. If Aailyah did not know the male, she might have shivered at the way he spoke. Also being very passionate about the coalition and understanding that the male had a growing family to protect, the pale female entirely saw where he was coming from. With a short nod, Aailyah showed that she understood this and would not do anything to stop him.
Glad that the conversation was taking a more positive turn once again, Aailyah was enthused about the way Kolo spoke about cubs. When he said that they would be exchanging marks, a wide grin spread across the pale female's face. "Exchanging your marks?" It was going to be the first ceremony to occur in the Duma'Chama and Aailyah could not have thought of a better cheetah to cement their rituals. "I am so glad to hear that! Oh, I do look forward to seeing cubs running around."
Aailyah almost missed Kolo's last comment and it took her a moment to realise what he had said, "A blight?" She asked, voice curious and confused.
Kolo was nothing but passionate, and quick to fight. Being held back from a fight was against his being and he was still unhappy about it. Granted, he now had the chance for more cubs to love; the logic was beyond his quick moving, violent whirling mind. She got a smile out of him when she nodded; no longer being held back was a great relief. Of course, Naddie doesn’t know of this agreement and would likely not agree to it. The cubs would likely also not agree, as well he was sure.
Thinking of the ceremony again, he was proud that she and he would be the first to go through it. While he wasn’t a leader, it was good to know that they would lead what might be a wave of more cheetahs coming to the coalition and doing the same thing. Knowing Naddie loved him that much, that she would take his mark and give him more cubs to love, it was enough to almost make him purr.
Certainly, he was completely calm. Grinning, he thought about the cubs, “I cannot wait either, our last litter was large, and it was amazing to watch the little fluffs grow up. I am grateful that they will have a completely safe place to grow up and that they will get to experience the coalition like our first litter did not.” He believed so strongly in this place, in what it could offer, that he gave his everything to it. The cubs would be safe because he could afford to wonder away from home, to guard the lands and hunt, bring back plenty to where it was needed and also make sure nothing was there to harm.
Part of his job, self taken mostly, was to warn the royals of troubles. “A black and white cheetah, named Kayin. He is trouble, a source of dissention. One of the greatest crimes, as I see it, he tried to talk distrust between myself and Naddie. As well, the looks he gives to a male is one I’d more expect to be given to a female.” How could he put it that the look gave him the creeps? Better to keep it worded the way he did, though he growled at the thought of the little tick.
While it had seemed the leader of the coalition had slipped a few times during their conversation, Aailyah had been enjoying herself for the most part. Kolo was a great cheetah and only further encouraged all of her ideas. While he took the position of guard, Kolo was also very much a backbone for the female. Aailyah knew she was not a born leader, but took on the responsibility of the coalition in order to fulfill her goal. The support from many others was hugely appreciated.
Talk of the cubs caused Aailyah's warm smile only to grow. The happiness Nadifa and Kolo shared with their family was something entirely new to Aailyah. She both admired their relationship, as well as felt small tings of jealousy. Wanting only the best for the couple, Aailyah supressed her additional feelings and continued to smile happily. Perhaps she could help assist in raising the cubs? Aailyah had quite a few responsibilities on her plate, but caring for Chura had always been such a rewarding experience - it never felt like a chore.
It was then that Kolo began to explain that it was Kayin whom had caused so much distrust. Kayin was acting up and causing Kolo to be uncomfortable. He had even gone so far as to attempt to create a rift between Nadifa and Kolo. With her brows furrowed, the pale female listened carefully to what Kolo was telling her. How could she choose to ignore his warning this time when his voice had always been so important to her in the past?
But Kayin.
Kayin had always been one to show support and affection towards Aailyah when she was in such times of need. Turning her head a way for a moment, the cheetah couldn't help but dread what was to come. Returning her gaze to Kolo, the leader forced a brave expression and concluded their conversation. "I appreciate your warning, Kolo. I will speak with Kayin about this matter. Well, I must be on my way. Thank you again."
Lifting herself to her feet, Aailyah bowed her head in farewell and began towards her den. If she was to speak with Kayin about this, she would need to gather herself first.
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